Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies

Support the MMBB Community Care Fund

 on Give to the Max Day 2024!

The Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies (MMBB) Community Care Fund supports families facing financial hardship by providing free or subsidized donor milk (PDHM) for their medically fragile infants through our Bridge Bag programs. For years, MMBB has funded this program through a portion of our annual fundraising and operating budget, and in 2024, we have exhausted those funds in the first ¾ of the year. With the growing demand for donor milk and our shortfall this year, we’ve set a new goal for our community care fund in 2025: raising $25,000 through our “25K in ‘25” campaign. 

Premature births in Minnesota have increased by 3% since 2019, and nationally, one in ten infants is born prematurely. For many of these babies, PDHM isn’t just a supplement—it’s medically necessary to reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), as well as other complications related to prematurity, gastrointestinal disorders, or congenital anomalies. These vulnerable infants depend on the nutritional and immunologic support that PDHM provides to ensure their healthiest possible start in life. As the only distributor of PDHM in Minnesota, MMBB plays a vital role in delivering life-saving nutrition to these babies. In the past four years, we’ve seen a steady increase in milk donors, recipients, and milk depots. During this time, we’ve distributed over 970,000 ounces of donor milk—equivalent to 2.9 million meals for very low birthweight infants in need.

This need continues to grow, and in response, we want to raise $25,000 in 2025. 

Your donation to the Community Care Fund will directly impact families in need, ensuring their infants receive the life-saving nutrition they rely on. Every dollar helps provide a healthier, brighter future for Minnesota’s most vulnerable newborns. Please consider a donation today.  

About Us

Welcome to Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies (MMBB) – we are a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit human donor milk bank, dedicated to improving infant health outcomes in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Our mission is clear: to provide premature and medically fragile newborns with life-giving, safely pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) when their own mother's milk is unavailable or limited.

As a member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) and a licensed food manufacturer approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, we're proud to meet the highest standards for human milk processing.

Our milk donors are healthy, lactating individuals who generously donate their surplus milk for free to help babies in need. Our rigorous screening process ensures the safety of the milk for even the tiniest, most vulnerable infants. Donated milk is transported to MMBB by dedicated volunteers and courier services like Angel Flight Central, where it is pasteurized and tested for safety before distributing.

Our PDHM is dispensed to babies in hospital NICUs and other inpatient settings as a critical first priority. For preterm and low-birth weight infants, using PDHM drastically reduces the risk of life-threatening infections like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

But our commitment to providing PDHM doesn't stop there. We've partnered with NorthPoint Food Pantry, Division of Indian Works, Olmsted County Public Health Family Home Visiting and WIC Program, and the Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition to create Bridge Bag programs, which provide up to ten 4 oz bottles of PDHM at no cost to families in need. We aim to equitably serve out-patient infants by reducing the financial barrier to obtaining PDHM.